Thread: Making Biltong

So after watching @The Hunters Club a couple of weeks ago when old mate Tim was making tahr biltong I got a bit inspired to make some.

First thing to sort out was a biltong box or dryer. A while ago I was given a few short bits of T&G. Apparently it is indonesian kauri (Agathis) no doubt not very sustainable so good to make something useful out of it

Laminated a few bits together...



Built a box and gave it a good coat of some quality wood oil



A shelf to catch the drips and a piece of perspex for the front and its done



Now for the biltong. Turns out there is plenty of recipes on youtube. I ended up with a hybrid of a few of them.



Found a venison sirloin in the freezer.
Made a mix of vinegar and worcester sauce and soaked the slices in it for a couple of hours in the fridge.

Then removed them from the liquid. Patted them dry and covered them with the salt and spices. Back into the fridge for the night.



Took them out of the fridge this morning and hung them in the box.



So now all that remains is to wait a few days to see how it turns out. I will let you know how it goes

As this is my first time making some I am certainly no expert so if you are experienced and can offer any advice, tips tricks or recipes then I'm keen on hearing them.

Cheers



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Will watch with interest, done plenty of jerky but no true "biltong"
Could be the motivation I need to build a cold smoker/biltong box.

I use the spice from the SA shop. Just soak with vinegar and dry in std dehydrator.

Personal preference = Brown sugar Yup. Cardomon nah.

Salt, Vinegar and any aromatics YOU like. Personally would have left the original brew over night in fridge then the pat down/dry mix another (next) night.

Literally thousands of biltong recipes online, find what you like. Best part of the trial and error is the tasting.

Also NO fat/ sinew or it's either rancid or chewbacca

I use "Safari Biltong Mix" by Crown National. I get it at the local South African shop. I've tried quite a few different ones but this is the best in my opinion, and most of my mates agree.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/home-livin...3cf9d168ca-001

Just soak in brown vinegar and Worschester Sauce overnight in the fridge, then role in spice in the morning and hang. I put the left over vinegar/Worschester Sauce in the freezer for the next batch I make, otherwise you go through heaps of it as it needs to be covered.

I find getting the cut thickness and drying time just right to be the challenge, not hard though.

Thanks for the link to the spice mix, that looks good

Originally Posted by Savage1

I find getting the cut thickness and drying time just right to be the challenge.

What would you say the ideal cut thickness is? I did notice in the few videos i watched that the cut thickness seemed to vary a lot !



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Originally Posted by kukuwai

Thanks for the link to the spice mix, that looks good


What would you say the ideal cut thickness is? I did notice in the few videos i watched that the cut thickness seemed to vary a lot !



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I think I do mine at about 20-25mm and dry for 2.5-3.5 days, I like mine quite soft.

I slice mine all up straight away after drying and put it in ziplock bags in the freezer.

If you like it drier then just slice it thinner.

Originally Posted by kukuwai

Thanks for the link to the spice mix, that looks good


What would you say the ideal cut thickness is? I did notice in the few videos i watched that the cut thickness seemed to vary a lot !



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What i do is, cut different sizes and thicknesses, that way you can start eating small pieces next day and eat the bigger pieces as they dry over the next few days haha. but im the kind of guy who have eaten half of the biltong in the garage while reloading before i actually take the last off to share.

Originally Posted by NewbieZAR

What i do is, cut different sizes and thicknesses, that way you can start eating small pieces next day

Yes, i can totally see how that makes sense I got home today and sliced up a couple of the smaller bits. They got devoured with the first green bottle

Originally Posted by NewbieZAR

but im the kind of guy who have eaten half of the biltong in the garage while reloading before i actually take the last off to share.

Problem there is that I have two lads hovering about when i cut it up and they just don't stop racing each other for the ends.

As a result most of mine IS shared in the garage


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correct toasted coriander seeds is the classic spice for Biltong not Cardamon but some may like that also. While a biltong box may help you do not need one to make biltong. The process of soaking the meat in a salt and vinegar solution draws out a lot of moisture and hanging it on a line in the shade (garage) or shaded area when there is a bit of air movement will dry it out in a week.
If you see a bit of mold for you need to dip in a baking soda solution. Best to do this as you hang the strips up to dry.

That's the one I use. I soak the spice and vinegar together though as per the instructions

Yeah it's all about the cut. Any non fatty meat sliced as thick as you like is good so long as it is able to stil cure well. Rule of thumb I was taught is : across grain = chewy but holds well. With grain = nirvana

Edit.

.

The ideal cut is the long round muscle of the silver side. Body parts of the silverside are good though. Cut it lengthwise. Always with the grain. If not using a bilt box cut the slabs down the centre lengthwise so they dry a bit quicker.

Here's a simple recipe that works very well for me. The
last batch that I made from Red Stag shoulders and haunch was very tasty.



Biltong (per kilogram of meat)

20g salt
4g coriander seeds
2g black pepper
1g brown sugar
Sprinkle with worcester sauce when you mix the spices in, leave to marinate for 12h before hanging.

Primo, cheers for all the info guys

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